Speaker
Description
The intricate energy exchanges within the Sun-Earth system, including geomagnetic storms, profoundly influence both ground and space technologies crucial for modern society. Effective forecasting and mitigation of space weather necessitate vigilant monitoring of the Earth's magnetosphere. However, this task is hindered by limited in-situ satellite measurements and ground-based observations. The Solar Wind Charge Exchange (SWCX) mechanism, which entails X-ray emissions from the interaction of heavy, high charge state solar wind ions, forms the basis for the upcoming SMILE (Solar wind Magnetosphere-Ionosphere Link Explorer) mission, designed to image the global magnetosphere using these X-rays. Our project aims to interpret SMILE's X-ray datasets through Global Magnetohydrodynamics (MHD) simulations, enhanced to incorporate heavy ions and X-ray emissions within the framework of space plasma dynamics. In this talk, we will present an analysis of SWCX from the Earth’s magnetopause and cusp regions under various solar wind conditions, along with the initial comparisons between the predictions of the global MHD model and those generated from our embedded kinetic particle model. The outcome of the project is expected to unveil the fundamental physical processes governing the solar wind-magnetosphere interaction and energy circulation as observed by the SMILE mission.
